


Across the Universe

by happywritter43



Category: Original Work
Genre: Aliens, Artificial Intelligence, Coming of Age, Eventual Romance, F/M, Interspecies Romance, Outer Space, Space Opera, Telekinesis
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-15
Updated: 2016-12-28
Packaged: 2018-08-22 14:18:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8288716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/happywritter43/pseuds/happywritter43
Summary: Sasha wasn't looking for any adventure, but when she rescues an alien boy from death in space, it seems to find her anyway.





	1. Chapter 1

As the star map flickered on Sasha's bedroom wall, she wished, not for the first time, that she was a child again. Yet, she had to grow up today. She, and anyone else who was seventeen years old, would board their own starship and venture out into the galaxy, alone, for a year. "To find yourselves," her dad had told her. Sasha would have rather have stayed on Earth to find her purpose instead. Isn't that how they did it five hundred years ago? Sasha wished that it could still be like that in the year 2518.

And besides, anything could happen in space, where the likelihood of death was higher. Her ship could lose power, and she'd run the risk of freezing to death or suffocating. In addition to that, she would be almost completely exposed to cosmic rays, which could cut through human flesh like it was butter. It was what happened to her mom--

"You ready, Sash?" her dad's voice called from downstairs.

No.

"Yeah, I'm coming!"

Sasha turned off the holographic map and stuffed it into her pack, which she proceeded to throw over her back. Then, she turned to survey her bedroom trying to commit every single detail to her memory. A soft smile graced her face as she looked around at her old sheets and her desk and her posters for possibly the last time.

"Good morning, Sasha," the home AI said, as she walked downstairs into the kitchen. Her dad who had finished pouring some coffee in a thermos. He usually made coffee for them in the mornings, his black and strong and Sasha's with spoons full of sugar.

"You're going to be bouncing off the walls," her dad would say with a shake off his head and a fond smile.

Sasha would answer with some sarcastic remark, usually along the lines of, "Not even the immense amount of sugar and caffeine in this coffee can keep me from being completely exhausted."

There would be laughter and Sasha would kiss her dad's cheek and give him a big hug,which he would pretend to hate, but he would hug her back in the end. And they would part ways, to work and to school.

This morning started out the same way, with super sweet coffee, and her dad pressed it into her hands.

"'Morning," Sasha said, quietly.

"'Morning," he replied. "You ready?"

"I don't know."

"I think you are," her dad said, stirring his own coffee. "Your mother would be so proud of you."

Sasha's eyes began to sting. "I wish she was here."

She buried her face in her father's chest. Before she knew it she knew it, tears were streaming down her face. She felt hands stroking her thick, curly hair, hair that she'd inherited from her mom. They stayed like that for a few moments before her dad gently began to pull away.

"Hold on, I have something to give you."

He went to the coat closet under the stairs, and came back with a long black coat.

"Here, it belonged to your mom. Try it on."

Sasha wiped the remaining tears from her face, and felt the jacket's fabric on her skin. She put it on and the first thing she noticed was how it seemed to cling to her skin. It reached to about her knees and was a bit too long in the arms, but it fit almost perfectly.

"It's beautiful, dad!" She barreled into her dad's arms again. "Thank you!"

"She would have wanted you to have it. Now, do you have everything? Rations? Toothbrush? Toothpaste? Space suit? Your sanity?"

"I have all of those things. Except my sanity, of course." They laughed..

The clock now read six o'clock. Sasha felt her chest tighten. It was nearly time for her to go. Her dad noticed too, and she could see the sadness in his deep brown eyes.

"We should start heading out to your ship," he said, full of pride.

"Yeah."

The ship was sitting in the front yard, in all of its silver, sleek glory. Children began to build their own when they entered school at age five, as well as learned how to pilot them. Along with that, they were also taught how to survive on their own in space, and how to protect themselves against threats. (Though Sasha didn't know exactly what they were defending themselves against.)

Sasha's ship was almost as long as her house, about ninety feet long, and half as tall, which was a good size for someone traveling on their own, and could fit about three people comfortably. It was equipped with everything a teenager could need: their own quarters, a telescreen, computer, gaming console, and plenty of food. Also on board was a ship AI, which was almost like the soul of ship. It controlled life support, the water recycling system, and pretty much anything else that would keep things running safely.

It was normal for the builder of the ship to program the AI with a personality and to give it a name, and Sasha had named hers Ellen, after her mother.

"Ellen, open the hatch," Sasha said. A few seconds later, the bottom of the ship opened, and the ramp lowered, revealing the ship's bright insides.

She hesitantly began to step onto the ramp, but not before rushing back to give her dad one last hug.

"Take care of yourself," she whispered.

"Make sure to call me every once in awhile."

"I will."

And with that, she finally entered her ship and took the short walk to the pilot's chair. The sound of the ship's engines could be heard, drowning out all other noise outside. Sasha felt the familiar dropping sensation in her stomach as the ship began to rise off the ground, and she could see her dad still waving on the ground.

"My sensors indicate that you are undergoing emotional distress. Is anything the matter?" Ellen's, soothing mechanical filtered through the sound system.

"No," Sasha said. "Nothing's wrong."

The ship began to pick up speed, and Sasha's home began to become smaller and smaller, until it disappeared completely, and the black of space was all she could see.


	2. Chapter 2

It was amazing to think that it used to take three days to get to the moon. Sasha gazed at the bright white object as the ship raced past in only a few seconds. On either side of her, she could see the numerous other ships that had taken off with her from various areas of the earth. Where were they going? Were they excited about their newfound freedom? Or were they just as scared as Sasha?

Sasha sent out a signal to the other ships, hoping that her energy signature would be recognized by any of her friends. Maybe she could tag along with someone. A hologram popped up on the dashboard.

It read: Congratulations, Space Explorers! Open or delete?

Sasha chose the Open option, bracing herself for the cheesy speech that was characteristic of School administrators.

"Congratulations on completing your training! You're now on your way to becoming adults that will contribute to our galactic community! You've spent your whole lives building your ships and preparing to live on your own. Be proud! Remember what you learned in School, and you probably won't die in the vacuum of space! Stay safe, and have a good year! Godspeed."

The message ended and the hologram flashed before Sasha's eyes and finally disappeared.

"That one wasn't too painful to sit through," Ellen said, and Sasha started. "Perhaps someone else wrote it, knowing the incompetence of the higher ups."

"Yeah," Sasha said. "I only wish that they'd done that sooner."

Another hologram popped on the dash, except this one was from Sasha's good friend, Nora.

"Hay wassup lol," the message said.

"You're eighteen years old and you still can't spell the word, "Hey"," Sasha replied.

"Haha, I'm a child at heart."

There was a slight lapse, and then another message.

"What's up?" Nora asked.

"Nothing, just wondering where you're going."

"Proxima Centauri. Why?"

"I was just wondering if I could go with you."

Another lapse in conversation, and Sasha could feel her heart pounding in anticipation for the answer.

Nora finally responded, but her answer was unexpected.

"Sasha, I love you, you know."

"But?"

"But I think we should go our separate ways. And, you're kind of clingy. I can't hold your hand forever. And also, I know your mom died, but the whole sadness thing you have going on is really depressing. I can't be around you. Sorry."

Sasha sat, stunned.

"I thought we were friends..."

And she didn't really didn't get an answer back after that.

"End convo," Sasha said trying to swallow down the feelings of betrayal and hurt that she felt. She tried to brush it off, but it stung like when she'd rip off a bandaid. How dare she? I've been there for her all these years,and she just leaves me. She can get lost in space for all I care.

If losing friends was what growing up was like, then Sasha didn't want to grow up at all.

"We are on course to Mars, Sasha. Do you want to change the ship's trajectory or stay on course?" Ellen said, breaking Sasha out of her inner tirade.

"Well... I'm not sure what I want to do..."

"I suggest activating your standard star map. Perhaps that may be of some help."

"Yeah. Ellen, turn on autopilot?"

"Of course."

Sasha reached into her pack and grabbed the map orb. The smooth, pearl white sphere activated immediately with a thought. A bright dot indicated the ship's location. There were thousands of star systems to choose from, to Sasha's dismay.

How am I supposed to choose, she thought.

"That girl you were talking to. She very likely was not your friend at all," Ellen said.

"I-I just, I don't know. I'm fine."

"You're not fine," Ellen said. Her voice had taken on a comforting tone and it sounded almost... human. The fibers in Sasha's jacket seemed to cling to her skin once more, and she felt the familiar sadness come over her again. That sadness she had when she thought about her mom.

"I'm fine," Sasha said with some finality, even though she was probably the opposite.

"It is not beneficial to internalize such strong emotions as anger and grief." Ellen had switched back to robot mode.

"May I brew you some tea?" she asked.

"Yeah, chamomile."

Sasha turned back to her map, and her eyes landed on the Leda star system. There was something about it that made her want to go there, despite that fact that she didn't know if anything of importance was there at all.

"Ellen, set a course for the Leda system. And activate the warp drive."

(Sasha loved saying that. It made her feel smarter and more charismatic than she actually was.)

"Aye, captain," Ellen said with a slightly sarcastic edge.

"Nice, you're learning!" Sasha said with a small smile.

"Indeed. Estimated time of arrival is 6:50 a.m. Eastern Standard Time."

The ship began to rapidly speed up and the stars outside began to transform into streaks across Sasha's vision until they were nothing more than a iridescent white tunnel. It took a little while to get over the sensation of moving quicker than the speed of light--it felt similar to being thrown at a wall, if Sasha could compare it to anything at all.

There was a high pitched beep coming from the dash again. This time the message read: TEA IS READY.

Sasha climbed down the ladder into one of the hallways which led into the kitchen, and grabbed the cup from dispenser.

"Thanks, Ellen," she said. Before she left, she shook the hand of the mechanical arm that controlled the brewer.

"You're welcome, Sasha."

Sasha climbed back up into the pilot's room, all the while sipping her tea. She had almost forgotten about how upset she was. Almost. How could she do that to me, she thought again. But the strange pull she felt towards the Leda system overshadowed any feelings of resentment she had.

The dash clock turned 6:50, and Sasha braced herself for when the ship left warp speed. She also braced herself for whatever destiny had in store for her.

Probably death, Sasha thought.

But she'd rather not think about that.

"Now entering the Leda System."


	3. Chapter 3

Traveling ten light-years to a distant solar system was one of the more questionable decisions Sasha had made in her short life. But it was better than going to Proxima Centauri. That was where all of the partiers went, and she didn't want to be around them at the moment anyways.

Especially not around Nora and her ilk, Sasha thought.

The strange pull Sasha felt earlier had worn off, and she was left in an angry stupor, trying not to punch anything. It was probably a good time to get some more tea, it had been a few hours, and they'd been wandering aimlessly. Or, she could stew in the bitterness and send Nora passive aggressive messages.

Or maybe, Sasha just wasn't fun enough to be Nora's friend in the first place. What if she was depressing or boring or clingy? She probably was all of those things, wrapped up in one uncomfortable package. It was a wonder she had any friends in the first place.   
“My sensors indicate more emotional distress. I would suggest counting to ten and taking deep breaths,” Ellen said. “Or drinking some more tea.”

Sasha did as suggested. In, out. One to ten. It helped calm the trembling that she didn't even know she had. About five minutes later, Sasha held a steaming cup of chamomile tea in her hands, her breathing a little more even. She had almost forgotten about the Friend-Who-Would-Not-Be-Named, yet again, but that was only because she had spilt the last cup on herself and the physical pain overshadowed the emotional.

Running a hand through thick, springy locks, she scanned the infographic of the Leda system she'd pulled up on her dash.

The Leda system had only one star, slightly larger than the Sun. Orbiting it, were five planets, and their many moons. There was not much information on whether or not they were inhabited. There wasn't even a human colony. So, there was absolutely no reason for Sasha to be out here, besides claiming a planet for herself.

Just imagine a planet run by me, Sasha thought. It would be full of downers.

“I think we should just go to Orion instead-”

“Sasha, my scanners have just picked up traces of another carbon-based lifeform in our general vicinity.”

Indeed, there was a faint blip on the map, a little ways away from the ship. It was too faint to be another vessel, but it was impossible, because that would mean-

“They're not in a ship! They're just floating out there! We need to help them! They might still be alive.”

“You do not know who they are-”

“Turn off the autopilot, Ellen!”

“Sasha-”

“Ellen, please!”

Ellen must have realized that this was a battle that she wouldn't win, because the autopilot was turned off and Sasha had control of her ship once again.

“Aye, captain.”

Sasha gripped the controls and moved in the direction of the blip, ignoring the nagging in the back of her mind that suggested that Ellen was right all along. It took a little while, but she found them floating motionless, spacesuit reflecting Leda’s light. Sasha began to slow down in order to avoid hitting the person and causing more damage. God knew that she wouldn't be able to live with killing a living being, even if it was accidental.

Fortunately she was able to slow down enough (thank goodness for physics class). Now that Sasha was a bit closer, she could see that the person's spacesuit wasn't like anything she'd seen on earth. For one, it was form-fitting, which revealed their--his--physique, and Sasha could feel blood rush to her face. Something else she noticed was that his helmet was either nonexistent or made of some very thin glass, because she couldn't tell if he was even wearing one.

Sasha turned on the tractor beam and watched wide-eyed as his body was pulled into her lower decks. She made sure to turn autopilot back on, and rushed down to the lower levels.

“How is he, Ellen?” she asked breathlessly as she stopped in front of the airlock door, her need for physical exercise obvious.

“I am not sure. I suggest taking him to the healing chamber. From there, I can assess his condition.”

Sasha attempted to hold up his full body weight when he was fully inside of the ship, but it was almost like his body was made up of ninety nine percent pure iron, one percent Earth bricks. Sasha didn't know where he came from, but what she did know was that he needed to lay off going to the gym.

She wasn't even halfway to the healing chamber when her legs began to tremble and her back began to cramp (if that was even possible) from exhaustion.

“Sasha, I know that you possess the strength of one hundred teenage girls, but I'm beginning to believe that you've gotten quite rusty in your training. Allow me to activate the microgravity.”

“Shut up, you hunk of metal,” Sasha grumbled as she and her cargo began to float.

“This hunk of metal is what is preventing you from dying a slow, painful death.”

“True.”

Carrying the man, or boy, Sasha still couldn't tell, became so much easier and she was able to get him into the chamber bed in record time.

After she went back to grab another cup of tea, she took the time to get a better look at him as Ellen checked him for injury.

He had short, platinum blonde hair, and skin that was almost white. His jaw was set in a tense position, even in his sleep, which made Sasha even more curious to figure out where he came from. Her eyes trailed down to the rest of his body. He certainly looked like he spent a lot of time at the gym, with the hard lines of his muscles accentuated by his suit, which seemed to be a strange shade between purple and green. On his hip was something that looked like some kind of lightsaber from the old Star Wars movies. If Sasha’s predictions were correct, he'd be able to wield it like a pro, and if he took her to be hostile, well… who knew what would happen?

Sasha gulped and choked out a laugh. What had she been thinking, bringing on this strange person onto her ship? Ellen had a point. But she still couldn't leave him to die, even though he could probably break her neck with his bare hands. It would be best for her to take his weapon, at least until she knew he was friendly.

She reached for the strange weapon. It was slightly confusing to take off, and her shaking hands didn't help any, but she managed to do so with her superior taking-things-off skills.

“Scans are sixty percent complete,” Ellen said.

“Okay,” Sasha said, trying to mask her growing anxiety

“Don't you think you should wait until he's awake?”

“What.”

“If you're going to procreate with him, you should wait until he's fully conscious, in order to be sure of his consent. Don't wait too long, though. Your father has said, and I quote, that “I want grandchildren before I turn senile.””

Sasha was glad that she wasn't eating or drinking anything, because she still managed to choke on air.

“I wasn't- I didn't- I'm going back up to the bridge. Tell me when he wakes up.”


	4. Chapter 4

It had been at least an hour, and the boy was still asleep. Oddly enough, there was nothing wrong with him. He had no internal injuries. He wasn't sick from exposure, even though he must have been floating outside for hours. It was the weirdest thing Sasha had ever seen. Even Ellen was scratching her virtual head.

"The composition of his body is not human. He appears to have a thicker muscle and skeletal structure," Ellen said, which didn't make things much better.

Many other species of intelligent life occupied the universe with humans. Some were friendly, and others, well, not so much. Especially those from the Arcturus system. They were a secretive race, only meeting with the rest of the galaxy for reasons of utmost importance. The rumors didn't stop there. People believed that the Arcturians had immense powers over the fabric of reality. It was one of those things that made them terrifying, especially to humans. It was said that five hundred years ago, they had invaded Earth intent on completely eliminating the human race. It must have been luck that the mankind had survived such a thing, with its underdeveloped technology. Maybe it was the fact that people were able to get over their differences in order to destroy a common enemy. Maybe it was their ability to steal alien technology and use it against them.

Sasha couldn't remember the whole story, but she did remember that somehow mankind had evolved past its previous limitations and became something greater.

Unfortunately for Sasha, she might not be competent enough to deal with a possibly blood thirsty alien.

Why did I let a complete stranger onto my ship again?

Sasha shuddered, thinking of the all of the horrible ways she could die, hoping she didn't make a horrible mistake. She was very glad that she'd taken the boy's weapon.

To calm her anxiety, Sasha tried to distract herself. First, she decided to play the old game, Ocarina of Time. For a while the general violence of the game got her mind off of things, but she kept dying, and came close to punching the console. To prevent injured knuckles, Sasha decided to play a game of Monopoly with Ellen, but in hindsight it wasn't a good idea to play with a computer.

After going to jail about ten times, losing all of her property, and much cursing on her part, Sasha decided it was time to find something else to do. Preferably something that wouldn't make her angry enough to punch a wall.

She decided to watch all of the Star Wars movies (excluding the prequels), and settled down in her bunk room with a wide smile. She made it through almost two movies. In fact, she'd gotten to the "I am your father scene" when Ellen's voice came on over the intercom.

"Our hitchhiker is waking up."

Sasha groaned and her stomach lurched. The nice feelings were gone again.

"Do I have to go?" she asked.

"Yes, as this is your ship, and every activity within this ship is your responsibility."

"Since when did you become my mother?" Sasha retorted, but got up and stretched her legs, feeling a swift wave of dizziness, and walked down to the healing chamber.

He was right where she left him, except instead of being unconscious, he was slowly blinking open his eyes. As Sasha reluctantly stepped closer, she noticed they were a very light blue, almost clear, and seemingly glowing.

"Um, hello. You're aboard my ship. We found you stranded outside," Sasha said, heart racing. "How are you feeling?"

The boy groaned and finally managed to open his eyes all the way. He didn't answer her question.

Instead he asked, "Where is my weapon?"

His intense blue eyes gazed into her own dark brown; Sasha felt like he was analyzing her very being, probably trying to figure out how much of a fight she would be. He began to prop himself up, and Sasha took a few steps back. I would help, she thought, but I don't want to die.

"I-I have your weapon. I didn't use it though, promise. I can give it back if you want, just don't kill me with it. My dad would be very upset, see."

His intense look softened, and he waved a hand dismissively as he sat up.

"It's fine. You seem trustworthy enough," he said.

She heaved a sigh of relief.

"Okay." She sat down at the bedside, still not too close. "I'm Sasha."

"Ludrien," he replied. His eyes widened as if he had just remembered important information. Ludrien stuck out a large hand. Sasha looked at it as if it had killed her mother.

Ludrien quirked a light eyebrow.

"Isn't this how Terrans introduce themselves?" he asked.

"Oh, um, yes," Sasha said, taking his hand. It was strange hearing the other word used to describe humans. At this point she was less afraid of being killed by him than she was of this awkward conversation. At least he seems nice, she thought.

"Thank you for saving my life," Ludrien said softly, still holding her hand. It was warm, and she almost wanted to keep holding onto it for some reason. She let go though, because her thoughts were becoming very strange, and she didn't know if it was because of her or something else.

"It was no problem." She smiled softly.

"Why were you even out there?" she added.

Ludrien looked sheepish.

"Some people don't like me very much, so they tried to make me suffer a slow painful death out in space."

"Oh. I see." Sasha slumped back in her chair. What if those people were still looking for Ludrien right now? They would think Sasha was helping him, and who knows, they would probably try to kill her too. It wasn't exactly how she planned on spending her first day on her own. She suddenly felt very tired.

"I don't want to drag you into any of my problems," he said softly. "You can drop me off at the nearest port."

Noticing his weary expression, she awkwardly patted his shoulder.

"Um, hey, it's going to be alright," she said. Sasha noticed that it was becoming difficult for Ludrien to keep his eyes open. She helped him lower himself back into the chamber.

"You're still really weak. We can talk about what we're going to do when you get stronger, 'kay?"

"Yes," Ludrien said weakly. "Thank you."

His eyes slid shut, and Sasha left for her own bed.

"It is interesting," Ellen said before she shut her eyes.

"What is?"

"Ludrien was secreting high amounts of the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin."

"So?"

"Those hormones are commonly associated with attraction. Your father's dream of grandchildren is one step closer to becoming true."

"Screw off."

"Remember the grandchildren, Sasha. Sleep well." 


	5. Chapter 5

It's a familiar scene. She sits in front of a holographic telescreen. Fingers tap anxiously on her thigh as she waits, and waits, and waits for the one she so desperately wants to talk to. Finally, a message pops up.

"Message received."

She smiles widely as a woman's image appears on screen, wearing an identical smile.

"Hi, Mom!"

"Hey, sweetie!"

Her mother pauses, then asks, "Where's your father?"

"He's still at work. I didn't have school today."

"Do you guys even do anything? Maybe I should take you out of that school, put you in one where you get a ruler to the hand and have to write write your name on the board a hundred times."

"I don't think schools like that have existed since the 1900s, mom. Unless you were actually there..."

"Are you calling me old?"

"Yes."

A red light illuminates her mother's face, and before she can blink her mother is being engulfed in flames. The last thing she sees are her mother's golden brown eyes. A piercing scream fills the house. The telescreen is just static. 

.....................................................................................

Sasha shot up in her bed, heart pounding, sweat running down her forehead. Her loud gasps for air filled the room, and after what seemed like hours, she was finally able to breathe again. Tremors shook her body and a stinging pain registered in the palms of her hands as she finally recognized her surroundings. Her nails had cut into her skin again and had drawn blood. Sasha hadn't hurt herself in her sleep since her mom's death a little over a year ago, and it was strange that she had started having the nightmare again.

Sasha rose from her bed, carefully avoiding irritating the cuts on her hands, and rushed down the hall to the bathroom, feeling an overwhelming feeling of emptiness the whole time. Opening the compartment that held the salve proved to be harder than it seemed; somehow grasping that handle irritated her wounds and Sasha might have gotten blood all over the place. How, she didn't know. She didn't remember her hands ever bleeding so much, but she finally washed her hands with warm water and had applied the salve.

Sasha sighed in relief as the fast-acting agents began to do their work. Now that her life fluids weren't seeping from her hands, Sasha decided to go back to sleep for a few hours, even though she probably wouldn't go back to sleep for one or two Earth-days.

"Can I assist with anything?" Ellen asked.

"No," she replied. "I'm just going back to sleep."

Ellen didn't say anything. Maybe she realized that Sasha was too exhausted to have a therapy session right now. Or maybe she realized that this was a battle that she couldn't win. Either way, Ellen remained quiet.

Sasha crawled into her bed, not before grabbing her mom's jacket and wrappng her arms around it.

It still smells like her, she thought.

Her body began to shake with sobs until she fell into a dreamless sleep.

Sasha woke up a few hours later, feeling just as tired as she did before she went to bed, but didn't feel like crying. It was a start.

What she did feel like doing though, was eating. Her stomach growled angrily as if trying to say, "How dare you ignore me!"

Sasha wasn't one to ignore the demands of her stomach, so she went over to the kitchen, grabbed a strawberry breakfast pastry, and headed up to the bridge.

"Good morning, Sasha." Ellen said. "Another breakfast pastry?"

"In my defense, it's like these are crafted by the gods."

"They are massed produced in a factory in the Orion System."

"Your negativity isn't needed, Ellen."

"I am only being realistic."

Sasha briefly wondered how she had come to program such a sassy AI. She surely wasn't that sarcastic, was she?

They sat in silence for awhile, Sasha pondering the fragility of life, thinking of whether Han really shot first, and trying to come up with ways to defend the honor of her beloved pastries. (While also trying not to think of the nightmare, which was still so fresh on her mind.) Ellen was off monitoring Ludrien's health and probably doing secret computer things.

"Your future husband is awake," Ellen said, snapping Sasha out of her reverie.

"Isn't it a little early to be calling him my husband? I've known him for like ten minutes," she said as she rose from her chair.

"Are you ever going to stop?"

"No."

Ludrien was sat up in the healing chamber, blue eyes alert. He grinned as she walked in.

"Good day," he said.

"Hey. Feeling better?"

"Yes! Much better." His smile faltered. "You don't look so good though."

She probably looked awful, with the bags under her eyes making her look like the human equivalent of a raccoon, except with dark skin. The dried tear streaks on her face probably didn't help. Still, she put a smile on her face to give the illusion that she was in control.

"I'm okay. Um, do you want something to eat?"

Ludrien didn't look convinced at all, but he nodded and stood up before Sasha could even offer to help. His quick recovery was unexpected, and Sasha wondered what was in his biology to make him heal so fast.

They took the lift to the ship's middle level, because secretly Sasha really wanted another pastry. The whole time, Ludrien's eyes darted around trying to interpret his surroundings. It was strange to see someone so amazed over the most mundane things.

He was especially fascinated with the strawberry pastries.

"What are those?"

"They're pastries."

Ludrien's head tilted slightly as if he were learning physics for the first time.

"...pastries?"

"Yeah. They're, um, an Earth dessert. They're usually made out of some kind of... dough, I guess. And then they're filled with a kind of fruit preservative. I'm pretty sure they're made by the gods themselves."

Ellen chose this moment to interrupt.

"They are actually mass produced in the Orion system."

"That's irrelevant information. Please take your false claims elsewhere."

Their banter seemed to confuse Ludrien more, who looked all he wanted to do was try some of these seemingly wonderful concoctions of mankind.

"...may I try one?"

Needless to say, he enjoyed them. Maybe a little much. Sasha was almost afraid that her pastry stash would be gone in a few hours. She also realized that Ludrien was practically an overgrown child despite being taller than her, being made of pure muscle, and looking like he could kill a grown man with his thumb.

"You two are perfect for each other," Ellen said.

"Shut up," Sasha replied.

After eating about a fourth of her pastry stash (a figurative tear fell down Sasha's face), they decided it would be a good idea to try to figure out where Ludrien could go in order be to stay under the radar.

"I can't go there," Ludrien said after searching through, pointing to an area fairly populated with planets. "They have a military outpost there."

"A military outpost? And who are 'they'?"

"Just some friends."

"Some powerful friends that want you dead."

"Yes."

Sasha tried her hardest not to pull at her hair. She wasn't going to get involved. She was just going to help this guy get to where he needed to go and that would be it. She wasn't going to get involved with crazy people.

"Sasha, there is an object coming out of warp dead ahead," Ellen said.

And there was, but it wasn't just any object. It was a giant ship that looked at least a mile long and about that wide. It was large enough to block the sun from her view, and it certainly didn't originate from Earth.

"Are these some of your friends?"

"Maybe. I just can't tell if they're the nice ones or the not so nice ones."

"Great."


	6. Chapter 6

Sasha had only woken up about an hour ago, and she was already so done with everything. The bridge was filled with an eerie blue light, which she assumed was coming from the strange ship. Sasha made to activate the warp drive but as she did, she found out that the ship wouldn't budge. She tried again and again until she realized it was futile; they seemed to be trapped in some kind of tractor beam. And the more she attempted escape, the more energy she would waste, which would undoubtedly cause more problems later. She buried her face in her hands, and fought back tears of frustration.

She felt a hand on her shoulder and she looked up, ignoring the familiar warmth that spread through her. Ludrien sat still in the copilot's seat, a small smile on his face, as if the large black ship didn't pose a threat.

"Why are you smiling?"

"It's okay. I don't think they want to kill us."

She glanced out of the window again, and then she turned back to him with a glare.

"Your friends are awfully shady."

"No, I promise they're great, non-shady people."

"Whatever."

She went to put on her space suit, and helmet. After that, she went to find her jacket, which was in the same spot as she left it. It gave her a little comfort as she went back up to the bridge. It wouldn't protect her from third degree burns, that was the suit's job, but it reminded her of home. 

When she came back, she couldn't see the sun anymore. They must have been pulled closer to the other ship when she had been gone. Ludrien was still in the chair, as calm as could be, eating another pastry. She didn't care enough to get upset; she was too busy trying not to panic as they were pulled completely into the ship's lower decks. 

Sasha took the opportunity to activate her helmet, which formed around her head, and plasma phasers built into her suit's gloves. 

Ellen's voice came in over the small speakers in her helmet. 

"Are you going off to meet your lover's friends?" she asked.

"He's not my lover."

Why was everyone else okay with all of this except for her?

She would have said something else, but they were completely inside of the ship now, in what looked like a hangar. They were inside a large room, which also contained many fighter vessels. Lots of them were brightly colored, and clashed with the black walls of the room. They obviously didn't belong there, and Sasha wondered where they came from. 

What if they were stolen? Was Ludrien friends with space pirates? Was Ludrien a space pirate? 

The hangar doors shut with a low thud. Sasha was afraid that she'd never see them open again. And in any time of peril, she did what any other human being would do; find someone to blame. That person was Ludrien, who still seemed perfectly fine with being in the bowels of a pirate ship. But that was probably because he was a pirate himself.

She advanced upon him with murderous intent but before she could even say a word, the dash lit up with warning. 

MAIN HATCH OPEN

Sasha's plasma blasters began to pulsate in the gloves of her suit like two mini beating hearts. She had no idea what she would do when the intruders showed up in the bridge; she had done some self defense training in her classes, but that might not be much help. 

I wish that I took that class more seriously, she thought. 

She felt Ludrien's hand on her wrist. 

"They mean us no harm."

"Yeah, that's why they captured my ship, isn't it?" she hissed. 

"Sasha," he said.

"What."

Suddenly her helmet was being lifted off her head and a pair of fingers were on her temples.

"Relax, alright?"

It was almost like Ludrien's words had a calming effect, or maybe it was the weight of his fingers on her face or the way he looked into her eyes. Whatever it was, it was doing the trick. Warm tendrils of something spread through Sasha's body, starting at the crown of her head and ending at the soles of her feet. It felt as if she was on a higher plane of existence and she wasn't quite ready for it to end. 

But all good things must. His hands lifted from her face, but not before lingering slightly as if he didn't want to let go.

Her trance was broken with a high pitched squeal that seemed to penetrate Sasha's eardrums and cause her to go temporarily deaf. 

"Ludrien!" 

A little purple-skinned girl burst into the bridge, bright green eyes alight with joy. She barreled into Ludrien, knocking the breath out of him.

"I missed you so much! Mother has been so worried about you! I've been worried about you too!"

"I missed you too," Ludrien said once he recovered. He pulled the girl into a less crushing hug. "But you don't have to worry anymore, because I'm safe now."

The girl let out a bright grin and Ludrien held her tighter. Sasha felt like she was intruding on something. So, she decided to back down in the pilot's chair. 

At this moment the little girl seemed to realize that there was another person in the room. She dashed over to Sasha with wide, curious eyes.

"Who're you?" she asked.

"Um, I'm Sasha." 

"I'm Cresta!" She held up a palm. "Nice to meet you!"

Sasha smiled a little and placed her palm against Cresta's. At least she wasn't completely socially inept.

Cresta turned back to Ludrien so fast that it was amazing she didn't hurt herself.

"Is Sasha your wife, Ludrien?"

"No," Sasha and Ludrien said at once. 

"Yes," Ellen said.

"Who said you could start talking?"

"I decided since I am a sentient being capable of abstract thought."

"I made you. I'm your god."

"Whatever makes you feel secure, Sasha."

Another voice cut in.

"Cresta, love, what have I told you about running off?"

The owner of the voice stepped in. She was also purple-skinned, but she was quite tall, a bit taller than Ludrien, and slender. Her face was long and elegant, with dark green eyes that seemed gave off the impression that she could figure out one's secrets with one look. It was framed by glossy dark hair that ran down her back. She also carried herself gracefully, like a queen. Her look was only accentuated by the thick robes she wore. Sasha suddenly became aware of all of her shortcomings. She noticed Ludrien give her a look, as if he was reading her mind.

"Mother! Ludrien's back! And he has a wife now!"

Sasha never thought she'd see him blush. She tried to stop the giggle that threatened to escape, but failed. It only made him blush more. His face erupted in blue. Interesting, Sasha thought, he has blue blood.

"Does he now?"

"Yeah! Her name's Sasha. Isn't she pretty, Mother?"

She laughed. It almost reminded Sasha of soft music. 

"I am Leytiri. I suppose I should thank you for bringing Ludrien home safely. He's come back many times with a vast array of injuries. I'm worried that we'll have to lock him up for his own good," she said, giving Sasha a pointed look. She held out her palm also, and Sasha repeated the greeting.

Sasha wasn't expecting the praise. After all, she hadn't done much. At a loss for words, all she nodded. 

"Your wife is quite shy, Ludrien." Sasha sputtered and Ludrien's face turned a deeper shade of of blue. "Come."

"We're not married," he said, though it was in vain.

She turned. Cresta latched onto Sasha's hand and pulled her along as they exited the ship. As she stepped outside, Sasha realized that the black vessel was much larger than expected. She looked up, and immediately felt like an ant. The hangar itself must have been at more than twenty stories tall. Dotted along the black walls were many openings, which Sasha assumed to lead further into the ship. 

Cresta's mother led them on, nodding at a few guards, and led them to a lift which would take them to the very top level of the ship. Sasha felt a little dread as the doors closed, blocking her ship from view.

"Do not worry," Leytiri said. "Your ship will be well cared for."

"Thank you," Sasha replied, finding her voice again.

The ride was mostly quiet, save for Cresta's many questions.

"Are you made out of chocolate?" Cresta asked.

"No," Sasha said. "Why do you ask?"

"Because your skin looks like chocolate, so that means it must be chocolate."

"Um?"

The lift stopped when Sasha was in the middle of trying to explain that she didn't naturally taste like chocolate and that Cresta could not have a taste of her arm. Ludrien looked sorry for her and Leytiri looked amused at her expense.

The door finally opened, and Sasha was gladly the first to get off the lift, which was a bad idea. Because she was met with angry face and a phaser to her head.

"The hell are you?"


	7. Chapter 7

Sasha sucked in a breath. To say that she was afraid was an understatement; there was only so much her skull could do to deflect a phaser blast. After that, well, she'd be quite unlucky. Fortunately for her, Cresta came to her rescue.

"Emna! Don't shoot Ludrien's wife!"

The girl in front of her, Emna, lowered her phaser, still suspicious, and studied Sasha like she was a specimen under a microscope. Sasha tried to ignore the crawling feeling she felt under such scrutiny.

"Ludrien's... wife?"

"I'm not his wife."

"Sure. Nice jacket by the way."

"Um, thanks."

Emna swept her platinum blonde hair behind her shoulder and turned to the little girl.  

"Cresta, why're you lying? Didn't your mom tell you that lying is wrong?"

"They were together when we found Sash's ship, so that means they're married!"

"That doesn't exactly prove anything, does it?" she said absently. 

"It proves everything!"

"Sure."

She turned back to Sasha with narrowed eyes. Sasha stared back. She theorized that if she looked away, Emna would be able to sense her fear, much like a predator would its prey. 

Emna had the audacity to smirk. Sasha felt her jaw tense. 

"Hey, Ludrien. I'm surprised you're not dead," she said. 

"So am I. I'm glad Sasha found me when she did."

She gave him a crushing hug, which contrasted sharply from her aloof personality. 

"Glad you're here," she whispered. 

"Likewise," he replied. "And please don't harass my friend."

"I thought she was your wife."

"She's not my wife," he said a little forcefully. Sasha felt her heart sink, though she didn't know why. 

"Could've fooled me."

Sasha felt a small hand grab hers. 

"Don't be sad," Cresta said softly. 

Sasha had the resist the urge to 'aww'. She wasn't one to deny the request of a cute child, so she just replied, "Okay," and gave a soft smile. 

"Perhaps we should show you to your quarters," Leytiri said. 

"Quarters?" Sasha asked. 

"Yes, you may be staying awhile."

Sasha let go of Cresta's hand, a feeling of uneasiness rising. This wasn't part of the deal. She was just going to help Ludrien find some of his allies, and then they would part ways. He would be safer with Leytiri and Emna, anyways. But maybe Leytiri didn't know about their deal and Sasha silently scolded herself for jumping to conclusions. 

"I would be happy to stay, but I had agreed that I would take Ludrien to somewhere he'd be safe from whoever's chasing him. And since I've upheld my side of the bargain, I think I should go-"

"Go back to wandering endlessly in interstellar space?" Leytiri asked with a slight tilt of her head.

She tried not to let her emotions get the best of her (like that had ever worked before), but she still felt her hands shake and tears form in her eyes. 

"I do believe it's in your best interests to stay," Ludrien said softly. She'd forgotten he was there.

"No. I'm leaving."

"It's not safe.."

"What isn't safe?"

"It's possible that those guys that are so adamant on killing me know who you are."

Great. She was stuck here and may or may not have been in complete danger. She took a few deep breaths; she felt a little bad for overreacting. 

"Whatever you say."

"Yes. Would you like to be shown to your quarters now?"

 

"Yeah."

 

I wonder if Dad's called, Sasha thought as she was led to her room, wherever that was. They'd been walking for at least twenty minutes. Just how big was this ship? 

Cresta had latched onto her hand yet again and was rambling on about something. She wasn't reallypaying attention. She was thinking of the earful she would get later for not calling Dad. Instead, she nodded her head absently, thinking about Earth and that stray cat that she occasionally fed and how it would find food now that she was gone. 

"Hey, pay attention to me!"

Cresta was pulling on her arm with a pout.

"Don't tear her arm off. Psycho," Emna said and Sasha was surprised that she came to her aid when, just a half hour ago, she was pointing a gun to her head. 

"I'm not a psycho!"

"You are a little bit psycho," Ludrien added with a smirk. 

"Mama, tell them to stop!"

"I would, my sweet child, but we're at our destination."

They had stopped in front of a dark door that seemed quite thick, and there was no doorknob in sight. How were they going to open it? 

"May you lend a hand Sasha?" Leytiri asked. 

Sasha complied, allowing her to place get palm on the wall next to the giant door, which seemed to serve has a touchpad. They waited a few seconds until a low beep could be heard. 

"That should do it. Only you and select few are able to unlock this door," Leytiri said. 

"You say that like I'm going to be here for a while."

"Well, you never know..."

Sasha cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Thanks," she said. 

Leytiri left in a flourish of robes and a nod of her head, Emna right behind get. Cresta followed after a lot of persuasion.

"Call if you need anything," Ludrien said. 

"But, how do I call you though?"

"Don't worry, I'll know."

"Okay," Sasha replied, deciding that she'd probably never know what he was talking about. 

"And," he added. "I hope you understand why you need to stay here for a while."

"Are you ever going to tell me who's after you?"

"It's better if you didn't know."

She sighed. 

"Don't worry about it."

He smiled and patted her shoulder, then went back the way they came. 

Sasha pressed her hand to the spot on the wall and watched as the seemingly immovable door slid open as smoothly as butter. 

The room also had a high ceiling, which shouldn't have come as a surprise since the ship took to heart the phrase, "bigger is better". Yet, she found herself marveling at the walls which were slightly glowing with some kind of mineral. 

As for furniture, the room was sparsely decorated except for a large bed in the center of the room and a pool of what looked like water in the back corner.

Sasha jumped onto the bed and was almost afraid that she'd fall through. Not bad at all. 

She felt her eyes begin to droop, even though she'd only woken up about an hour ago. Yet, she couldn't help but close her eyes for just a few minutes...

She couldn't quite remember the dreams that followed. All she could remember was fire, and a man shrouded in shadow.

She woke up with a piercing scream and blood running down her shaking hands.


	8. Chapter 8

The stinging in her hands was unmistakable; Sasha had had another nightmare. She did nothing but stare down at the red crescent shapes that were gouged into her palms, one thought running through her mind: Why is this happening again? What was triggering the nightmares again? Was it meeting Ludrien for the first time? That was when the nightmares had happened again, leaving that same heavy grief that had originally weighed down her heart.

She heaved a sigh It would be a good idea to treat the wounds on her hands; the stinging was turning into a slight burn. But, where would she find a bathroom in this monster of a ship? And did she really want to bother Ludrien over this tiny little thing?

Of course not, she thought. So Sasha opened the large door and stepped into the magnificent corridor. It had seemed to darken since the last time she'd come down here, as if simulating night. She must have been asleep for hours, and yet, she felt completely drained.

Finding a bathroom would prove to be impossible in the near pitch darkness, and Sasha considered waiting till the next day cycle to treat her cuts. The dark had never quite been her thing. As she turned to step back into the room, a strip of pale green light appeared on the floor, as if it had telepathically figured out her needs.

It gently pulsed, as if patiently waiting. And what else could Sasha do but follow it? As soon as it realized that it had her attention, it sped down the hall leaving Sasha to run after it.

After what seemed hours of running (even this ship seemed to want her to suffer), she finally approached another large door, that seemed to glow with the same pale green light. Sasha gingerly placed her palm on the area near the door, being extra careful not to bother the cuts. For awhile nothing happened, and Sasha wondered if she was led to the wrong place. 

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, she thought. 

The green light pulsed, as if annoyed, and the door slid open, almost like it was telling Sasha, "I have to do everything around here, don't I?"

"Maybe if you weren't so confusing, you wouldn't have to do anything," was what what she would have said, but then she would have to admit that she was speaking to inanimate objects. And that would be stupid. 

Sasha stepped into the room, expecting to find the commodities that would make up a normal bathroom. She found no such thing. Instead, she saw what seemed to be some kind of greenhouse or botanical garden, alien plants sprouting from nearly every available surface, from floor to ceiling. The room itself had a different color glow to it; this was an iridescent blue. 

"This isn't a bathroom," she grumbled to the light, which was gathered at her feet. Yet, Sasha found that she didn't care that much as she took in her surroundings. The light had already begun to move again, slowly this time, and Sasha followed down the path, relieved that she wouldn't have to do more strenuous exercise. 

There were some things that Sasha would have never expected to be in a greenhouse. Altars seemed to be placed every few feet, a dash of intelligent design amidst the natural chaos of the forest-like foliage. Sasha found herself being almost hypnotized by the unfamiliar deities, as if they were demanding her attention, and had to keep herself from tripping over her own feet. Once, she almost ran into a strange looking bulbous plant, which sprayed pollen into her face as a form of self defense. 

Her guiding light stopped in a clearing, where there was small pond. Beyond that was a large window, which let in the faint starlight. Sasha found herself staring out into the darkness and felt a strange mix of both unease and wanderlust, though fleeting the latter was.

No, she thought, you're going to get back to your ship and go somewhere that isn't so far away from home. 

She turned to the pond, where the light had gathered again. 

"Touch it," it seemed to say, so Sasha did just that, not exactly knowing what that would accomplish. 

The water was cool, but the refreshing kind that one would expect after working on a long summer day. Like those days that she would build her ship all on her own, and her parents would cheer her on, tell her that she was making so much progress. 

"We're so proud!" her dad praised. Her mom would give her tight hugs. Then, after that, they would go inside and eat lunch. Sasha would have one, or five, of her beloved strawberry pastries for dessert.

"Don't you think that's a little too much?" her mom would ask.

"Of course not," she replied. "They're a gift from the gods!"

"They've been mass produced in a factory somewhere in the Orion system."

Sasha didn't notice the tears flowing down her cheeks until they were actually hitting the water below.

"No," she whispered. "I don't care much about that."

Sasha removed a hand from the water to wipe her face and noticed, to her amazement, that the cuts were gone. The same was true for her other hand. She didn't have time to even be amazed at the waters supposed healing properties or think about her memories which were as vivid as her nightmares. 

She found the light stopped in front of another statue. Sasha had to crane her neck just to see the very top.

"What're we doing here?" she asked it, though she knew it wouldn't answer with words. The figure appeared to be a woman, adorned with flowing robes reminiscent of those worn by a Greek goddess. Vines, that looked similar to those that grew on the trees near the School, wrapped around her arms and shoulders. 

And that face, that hair... it looked so familiar.

Sasha's fingers gently grazed the smooth stone (marble?) that the statue was sculpted from, and squinted up into the goddess's face. Except, it wasn't a goddess, it was-

"Mom?"

The marble began to burn under her fingers, and she jerked her hand back, falling backwards. Sasha clutched her hand as she looked up into the statue's forlorn eyes, and felt a intense rage and sadness that didn't feel like her own. Sobs that she was previously holding in now wracked through her frame, and Sasha thought for the first time that her mother's death wasn't an accident.

**Author's Note:**

> Comments make this poor, sad author really happy


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